FOCUS -- Our word for 2019

I wasn’t going to do a 2019 intentions posts right after our 2018 recap post, but when I opened my planner, this quote reached down into my soul.

2018 tested us in ways that made us question our dreams, our fortitude, and our sanity. I believe that 2019 will send us similar tests, but having survived 2018 we are prepared to thrive in the face of whatever 2019 throws our way. Our goals for 2019 are simple and focused.

Family. It is so cliche, but the girls are growing so quickly. These moments are so ephemeral, and I want to make sure that we experience every one of them. The days are so intense. There are moments of such sweetness and tenderness and moments of tantrums. There are long nights spent rocking their now gangly bodies to sleep. Our squishy little newborns have been replaced by these magical little people who are curious about their world. In 2019 we want to soak up all the moments.

Farm. Our primary goal for 2019 is to still be in business at the end of the year. To do this we must not only remain resilient, we must adapt. In order to adapt -- whether it is new practices, new technologies, or new marketing channels -- we must be prepared and positioned to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves. My third grade teacher drilled into our heads that “Luck favors the mind most prepared”. I want us to be prepared so that when it is time we can firmly grasp the opportunity.

Food. Our first summer farming we subsisted on coffee, quesadillas, and McChickens. We have deliberately made time to expand our food horizons, but as time and money have become scarce, quesadillas have made a resurgence on our weekly menu. I want to be more intentional about our food this year. We work so hard to produce high quality food and I want to be sure that we can enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Fences. We have been planning to invest in more permanent fencing since the very first day we stepped on the farm. While we have made due with temporary fences with some minor upgrades (we swapped out the fencer we bought at auction for $10 for this one and bought a digital fault finder) this year we will set up permanent perimeter fences and reroute our laneway. These changes will make the “your cow's are in the neighbor’s soybeans” calls less frequent and help us diversify our farm. While the supplies are somewhat expensive, establishing fence lines relies on sweat equity more than an investment of capital and sweat equity is more readily available right now.

This year seems to be the year of F’s and it has become a thing to pick a word in place of a resolution. There is an obvious F word to choose, but instead this year’s word will be FOCUS. If we focus on our priorities and let everything else fall to the side, we are bound to get much closer to our dreams.

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